The present invention relates to a sighting device for an archery bow. More particularly, the invention is directed to a bow sight with a dual sighting arrangement that has both a front and rear sight. The front and rear sights are mounted and affixed to a frame coupled to a bow or bow riser, and are operable to improve bow shooting whether in an elevated stand or on the ground.
Bow sights are utilized to improve the trajectory of arrows fired at a target by an archer. More specifically, it is desired, as in target shooting, to provide as tight a cluster or pattern of arrows in a target as possible. This compact cluster of arrows is indicative of an accurately sighted bow, as well as an able archer. Various devices and bow sights are utilized to improve the accuracy of the archer, including the following: front sights; rear sights; string-mounted devices, bow rider-mounted devices; notched sights; elevation pins, bow riser angular or rotational indicators; and, combinations of the above, as examples. These devices have a singular purpose, to improve the accuracy of the archer. Many of these devices are sold for elevated stand shooting in which the archer is in a tree and is hunting deer on the ground below the tree. One such bow sight has a front pendulum sight in front of the bow, which pivots as the bow is tilted.
Range finders for a bow frequently use at least one adjustably mounted elevation pin in a bracket to provide the archer with reference means for targeting position or distance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,349-Webb et al., illustrates a range finder utilized in cooperation with a string-mounted sight for sighting the bow on a target. Target alignment is accomplished through the string-mounted sight aligned with a projecting pendulum member, and one of several preset range pins, which range pin is selected is based upon the position of the pendulum member relative to vernier marks indicative of the range of the sighted target.
Screw thread adjustments may provide bow sight adjustment about the vertical and lateral axes of the bow, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,297-Altier, as well as for basic technique adjustments about the vertical, lateral and longitudinal axes. This sighting arrangement utilizes the same structure for both rough and fine adjustments. However, these adjustments are fixed position adjustments, which require manual adjustment of the total apparatus to accommodate varying conditions. The apparatus includes a windage and/or elevation adjustment.
A dual sight apparatus, that is front and rear sight, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,217 to Shader. The sight utilizes a vertical sight, which appears as a taut string or wire in the vertical direction, as well as the wind or elevation pins located at the front of the bow. This arrangement provides an added fixed reference point for the archer.
A bow sight pivotable about a fixed point attached to the bow is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,336 to Pennington. This device includes a wind adjustment means extending perpendicular to the pivoting sight, which is horizontally maintained by a counterweight. A scale provides an indication of the degree of inclination from the horizontal. However, the windage device is fixed to the general line-of-sight arm and therefore moves with this arm as it pivots during use of the archery bow.
Other bow sights provide pivotable members to pivot the sight for adjustment to changes in the vertical orientation of the bow, or to adjust for changes of elevation of the line of sight. U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,422 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,096 illustrate various alternative bow sight apparatus for aiming and firing a bow from an elevated position.
It is desirable to utilize a fixed bow sight to provide a continuous frame of reference and a variable sight to adjust to changes in the angle of inclination of the bow. Further, it is desirable to be apprised of bow rotation out of a plane normal to the ground as the rotation will displace front and rear sight alignment, thereby effectively altering the sight adjustment and varying the accuracy of the archer utilizing the sighting device.
The present invention provides a front sight with multiple fixed reference points, which can be preset for given distances, and a rear sight that is pivotal about a horizontal axis to maintain the rear sight in a generally horizontal position even though the bow is tilted from a true vertical position at the time of shooting. The pivotal rear sight is also indicative of bow rotation out of a plane vertical to the ground, as its pivoting is inhibited by such rotation.